AIDEN
by hope2x
Summary: Robin is gone & Regina is working on handling herself & her decision to let him be with his family, finding some comfort in her own family & the friend she's discovered in Emma. But then one day a portal opens & someone comes through and the choices are no longer so simple. (that's all I'm giving so I don't ruin it. The 1st chapter will show you the direction we're going)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've had this idea swirling for awhile so I decided to give it a go. OUTLAW QUEEN fic here, just in case anyone stepped into this thinking it was a different pairing. OQ is the actual ship, though Savior Queen (Emma and Regina FRIENDSHIP) will be throughout as well. **

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><p>"We'll find him, Regina." Emma looked so determined and Regina knew she really was.<p>

So far, the town's sheriff had spent nearly as much time in the former Evil Queen's mansion than in the _Sheriff's_ station. Regina was so _incredibly_ reluctant to admit it, but Emma was turning out to be one of the first people she'd ever dare to call an actual friend. It was unfamiliar and even awkward at times, but in the moments when she was near tears and physically shaking with the intensity of her desire to burn something down, and Emma was there to sit quietly and offer just the presence of someone who wouldn't judge her, _or_ put a shot in her hand to throw down and dull the pain, Regina felt maybe enduring some awkwardness was actually worth it.

"Emma, I've told you, we're not going after him."

"But I can-"

"I know you _can_. This isn't about my faith in your bail bonds person skills. It's about the fact that I'm not going to take him from his family. I'm not going to ask him to leave his child or take a child from his mother." Regina leaned back on the couch opposite the determined sheriff and sighed, tiredly.

She knew this was her fault. There were several moments after a few too many glasses of cider where her control on her emotions would slip and her tongue would loosen up and she'd confess her desire to see them again. To see Robin's grin and Roland's little dimples. She couldn't help herself and then neither could Emma. Because her Savior complex mixed with her personal determination to help Regina would have her jumping at the opportunity to_ do_ something to help and Regina had to bring her back down again.

"You wanna get out of here?" Emma saw the sullen expression settling and decided to drop the subject. Regina was getting ready to say she was fine and she needed to stop wallowing. She would send Emma home and pretend everything was fine and by this time next week, they'd be in these exact positions again.

"I don't-"

"Come on." Emma quickly cut her off. "David and Mary Margaret were gonna take Henry to Granny's before coming back here. Let's go meet them for a family dinner."

There was instant hesitation on Regina's face, and Emma was immediate with her pleading look.

"You _know_ Henry will appreciate it."

And she did. Regina might be a bit anti social right now, but she knew how much Henry loved them all together and would be trilled to see her out and about with other people.

With a roll of her eyes at Emma's tactic, the older woman got up without a word and retrieved her coat. Emma had the good sense to remain silent in her victory and slipped her arms in her sleeves as she passed Regina to step outside, turning to wait for her to lock the door.

They stayed silent after that. They weren't generally much for casual conversations and this was where Regina felt the most awkward. But then they'd been getting better at just moving through the silence and it was getting easier.

"Uhh Regina? What the hell is that?"

Emma's voice was a familiar kind of confused that had ceased to alarm Regina a long time go. So she just calmly glanced up in the direction Emma was facing before she froze and her eyes widened.

Across the street where the woods began, there was a shimmering in the air. It was as if it was liquid, swirling up off the ground. It started moving faster and both women remained frozen in their spot.

"Magic." Emma supplied unhelpfully, mesmerized.

"A portal." Regina clarified and shook her head lightly. "Someone's coming through."

As she spoke, the movement of the portal sped up and directly in the center, an opening formed, growing rapidly.

Emma reached for the gun at her hip, and was instantly standing guard. Regina's own fingers flexed as her magic reacted to her alarm.

Both women stood ready but had to look away as the light from the portal grew nearly blinding. Regina reacted by forming a small ball of fire in her hands, ready for whatever would come out.

The light died down immediatly and both Regina and Emma tensed instantly, but then blinked a few times.

Neither had known exactly what to prepare for, but it was not the girl standing directly in the spot the portal had appeared and quickly disappeared from.

She couldn't have been more than fifteen and looked as confused as the women before her. Dressed in leathers and strapped with several small weapons, they both could guess where she'd come from. But why she was here was a mystery, as well as who she was and why she had such an angry scar running straight down one eye. It had them distracted momentarily.

It wasn't until the nervous looking girl moved to take a step back that they snapped out of it. Regina saw her eyes going to the fire in her hand and without another thought, she extinguished the flame by simply closing her hand.

"It's okay." It was Emma who stepped forward first. She had put her gun away and had her hands up to try and calm the girl as much as she could. The teen didn't move back again, but she wasn't approaching either.

"Who are you?" She asked, voice making the nerves she showed audible as well. Emma smiled lightly and stepped forward again slowly.

"I'm Emma. This is Regina." She glanced back at the former Mayor who was staring ahead, noticing the girl's eyes narrowing on them briefly before blinking and taking a step back again. "It's okay. I promise."

Emma stepped back then, giving her some space. She waited a few seconds before trying again.

"What's your name?"

The girl looked hesitant. Wary and confused and still a little nervous. Emma and Regina kept their distance though, and after a few seconds, she replied.

"Aiden. I'm Aiden"

Emma smiled. She gave a small nod and Regina calmed her own features.

"It's nice to meet you, Aiden." Can you tell us how you got here. Or why?"

Aiden looked between them again and both knew she was trying to decide whether or not she could trust them. They stayed back, but this time, Regina offered a small smile.

"We didn't mean to frighten you, dear. Our families are here, so we had to ensure we were ready in case whoever came through this portal was not a friend. But I don't think we need to worry about that now, right?" She kept the soft expression on her face and could see Aiden calming slightly. The girl offered a small nod and Regina smiled a little wider, encouragingly. "So can you tell us why you're here?"

"I..." She started and took another breath. "I'm looking for my father. I think he's here." Finally getting something from her, both woman nodded again, hoping to keep her from retreating again.

"Well we can certainly try to help you with that." Emma placed her hands in her pockets and shrugged. "What's his name? We can go from there and see what we find."

Aiden seemed to be mulling that over for a moment and took a few more breaths, calming herself further. She still looked the slightest bit skeptical, but they both understood that.

"Luckily for you, dear, it's a rather small town. If he's here, we'll find him easily." Regina smiled and Aiden nearly returned it, schooling her features before the look could surface, though. Regina was about to try again before Aiden finally answered, effectively silencing the woman from any further comment.

"He's called Robin Hood."

**LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe she should have been mad. She was confused. Overwhelmed. Completely shocked. This wasn't an ex Robin neglected to mention, or something he'd stolen he didn't want her to know about. This was a child and somehow he'd just left out this little detail. She should _definitely_ be mad.

But then there was a young, tired and hungry looking child standing in front of her and somehow, that just wasn't the case then. The second Regina's thoughts settled, she just moved into action.

Emma stood, clearly shocked, as Regina carefully approached the girl. Aiden was eyeing her with the same wariness she'd shown since coming through, but Emma saw her expression soften just ever so slightly as Regina smiled at her and asked her to join them. It had Emma shaking her head, and even more so when Aiden actually agreed after Regina promised to help her afterwards. Aiden looked a little lost and unsure, but despite seeming not to know what to do, she was trusting them.

As they walked, she stayed cautiously behind. Emma wasn't surprised. Aiden reminded her of herself at that age. Ready to run if she had to. But it gave Emma the chance to speak with Regina and and she used the opportunity.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Regina responded without looking over. She didn't look behind to check on Aiden either, Emma noticed.

"I'm a little surprised you just...asked her to come back with us." She didn't really know what else to say and now Regina did glance at her.

"She's only a child. What if it had been Roland? What if something like this had happened to Henry and Robin found him, or your pirate?" Regina rose an eyebrow and Emma couldn't argue. But she couldn't say she wasn't surprised. Regina's maternal instinct might be the one and only thing that overpowered her fear and anger. It was not something to mess with, Emma did know that.

She noticed Regina pause and her eyes soften as they turned to Emma's again.

"She's _Robin's_ daughter."

"Yeah..." Emma sighed, "But what are we going to do? Shouldn't we take her to the station?"

"Right now, we're going to get her some food. It looks like she hasn't eaten in months."

Emma nodded. When she'd taken in the teenager initially, she'd first noticed the pronounced scar running through her right eye. But quickly, her attention was taken by the dark circles under them both. The way her cheeks were slightly sunken in, unhealthily, giving the contours of her face a harder look. She glanced back again, to ensure their young visitor was still with them, but flinched when Regina swatted her arm.

"You're going to make her nervous." Regina said seriously and Emma leaned closer to whisper.

"She looks like she's about to run."

"Because you're making her nervous." Regina hissed back. "Calm down, and she will too."

Emma was surprised yet again, but heeded Regina's advice. In truth, that's what she'd needed when she was a kid too. Some space and trust. Suffocation never did her a second of good. She remembered, with a small tinge of sadness, that it had been Ingrid's willingness to let her run, that made her stay. Maybe there was logic to the method.

They arrived at the diner and Regina finally glanced back at Aiden, approaching her as the girl was looking all around now, no longer as concerned with them, as their surroundings. She was staring at the flickering Granny's sign in curiosity when a car drove by and she flinched so fast and so hard, that she fell right back into Regina.

"It's alright." Regina quickly reassured, catching Aiden by the shoulders and giving just a gentle squeeze. That had the teen spinning fast, but then Regina saw something interesting.

There seemed to be a quick, internal debate. She was confused and lost, that much was more than evident. But then there was a moment where she glanced around and back to Regina and the former queen saw her considering her options.

Regina couldn't quite explain the feeling when Aiden gave her a small nod and didn't move away from her, instead, actually letting the brunette lead her inside.

Emma watched the exchange with curiosity. If she was being honest, she could understand Regina. The woman was a mother before anything else and this was her soul mate's child of all people. She'd seen the way Regina had taken to Roland instantly as well. As crazy as the situation was, Regina's behavior wasn't, but then it was still so interesting to see.

Moving inside, Regina sighed lightly, relieved that Granny's wasn't too busy, and more, that her son and his grandparents weren't there yet. It allowed for Regina to lead Aiden to a table, uninterrupted.

"This is just like a tavern." Regina answered the question in Aiden's wandering eyes. Eyes that stopped and stared at the tray in Ruby's hands as the werewolf passed. Eyes that kept staring until Regina placed a hand on her back.

"How about you sit here, and we'll get some food, okay?" She pointed towards the inside of a booth and again, she saw the internal debate. Aiden's eyes moved from Regina to the seat, to the door and back to the food now being placed in front of Leroy.

She was uneasy, and that was clear, but after a few seconds of watching the dwarf all but devour a burger, she slowly and cautiously sat down.

Emma slid in on the other side casually, as Aiden slowly moved over and leaned against the wall. Regina moved next to her calmly and hoped the girl would realize she wasn't unsafe.

She seemed uncomfortable with her position, trapped between Regina and the wall without an easy exit, but when the brunette made the realization and considered offering her to trade places, the dinging above the door sounded and Regina changed her mind.

When Mary Margaret stepped in with the youngest prince in arms, followed by her husband and grandson and the volume of the restaurant instantly went up, Regina realized maybe it would be a better idea to stay put. Emma jumped up to head them off and Regina took the opportunity to wave Ruby over.

Aiden stayed completely silent. Regina ordered chicken sandwiches, for the young girl, her son and even herself, and Aiden merely faced forward as her eyes took it all in.

She still didn't speak when Ruby left and didn't respond when Regina informed her a meal was on it's way. She did however, unconsciously shift just slightly closer to the wall when the newest family approached them.

"Aiden, these are my parents, Mary Margaret and David." Emma nodded towards the couple as Mary Margaret took the seat opposite the teen now and David moved some chairs closer to the table.

Aiden's eyes instantly narrowed as she looked between them and Emma shook her head.

"It's a long story. Anyway, that's Neal," she pointed at her brother, "and this is Henry."

Everyone took a minute then. Even the ever cheerful Snow White didn't instantly speak and Emma noticed quickly and with a frown, that she was staring. Aiden did too, and the girl turned her face towards the wall, hands moving to brush dirty blonde hair over one of her eyes. Over the object of the new Mayor's attention.

"_Mom_." Emma all but hissed at her, matching Regina's glare at the petite brunette's rudeness before Mary Margaret snapped out of it in an instant.

"I'm- I'm so sorry, hi." Mary Margaret tried to laugh it off and reached her free hand across the table. Aiden didn't even look though, let alone take her hand and when the former Mayor's glare started cutting into her, Mary Margaret finally retracted her hand.

Luckily for everyone, Ruby had been rather quick and her re-enterence cut into the increasingly awkward atmosphere. She placed plates down in front of Henry, Regina, and Aiden before taking everyone else's order.

They all tried not to notice. Everyone had the decency at that point, not to stare as Aiden practically inhaled her meal as if it was her last. Emma's eye's softened a little, but other than that, they all occupied themselves in conversation until their meals came and everyone ate.

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><p>They managed to avoid the Charming's obvious questions. When the meal was completed, Emma all but pulled them out of the booth and outside and Regina was grateful yet again. Henry followed them out but he looked back to Regina a few times and she found herself feeling bad for his confusion.<p>

"My dad."

Regina turned when Aiden spoke. It was the first she'd spoken since she'd agreed to come and it nearly startled Regina.

"Yes." Regina responded with a deep breath.

"You'll take me to him now?" Aiden was looking so expectantly at Regina, but her eyes narrowed at the hesitation in Regina's expression.

"Aiden-"

"You told me you knew him. You told me you'd help." She took a step back, staring with accusatory eyes now, and Regina reached out. Though she pulled her hand back before it made contact.

"It's complicated. I know him. I know him...very well. But-"

"I'll find him, myself." She turned away and Regina started to walk after her.

"Aiden, wait-"

"Mom?" Henry walked up and Regina turned to see him approaching. She looked apologetically before lifting her index finger.

"One second, sweetie." She spun back around , but Aiden was no longer standing there.

Regina was outside the back of the diner in only seconds, but to her surprise and dismay, Aiden was nowhere in sight.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

A deep frown is etched into otherwise nearly perfect features. Heels click on pristine, hardwood and the still air is broken only with frustrated puffs of breath.

Regina was trying to do what was best for her son and care for him, but it didn't ease her mind. When Aiden has disappeared, she'd tried to run after her, even using her magic to move herself around the block, in a feeble attempt at locating the surprisingly elusive teenager. But somehow, the girl had escaped completely and Regina couldn't just leave Henry to track her down.

She tried to believe in Emma when the sheriff and former bail bonds person, assured her she'd find Aiden and call her as soon as she did, but being left to sit and wait did not bode well for Regina.

She didn't notice Henry watching her movements until he cleared his throat and she turned to see him standing on the staircase, looking mildly concerned. She gave herself a small shake and forced a smile.

"Hi honey, do you need something?" She came up to the step below him and tried not to focus on the fact that the single step had him taller than her.

"We should go find her." He spoke confidentially and Regina opened her mouth before snapping it closed. "I know it's bothering you."

"Henry," she shook her head, "it's not our responsibility to-"

"What if it was me? What if I ended up in the somewhere alone with no one to help me?"

Regina felt a small smile pull at her lips. It seemed they thought alike, as she'd said nearly the exact same thing to Emma that morning. It never had ceased to give her a small jolt of happiness whenever evidence of their bond showed itself. There was so much of Emma and his Charming family in him, but she was there too. She liked the reminder.

Still with that small, but genuine smile on her face, Regina leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her child's cheek, before giving him a nod.

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><p>Despite the new discoveries of the last few years, Emma had always known of a few facts about herself that no amount of fairy tales, magic, or crazy heritage could change. One of the most prominent of those character traits included a rather adept skill at finding people. A skill Emma had only ever doubted during her search for her parents.<p>

And now.

Emma planted her hands on her hips as she took a moment to stop and reevaluate. She didn't know why she came out this far, but she'd been checking through the town and just felt drawn out to the woods. Now though, she was just frustrated.

She was shaking her head as she turned away from the town line and faced the open road. She took slow steps forward as the Sheriff's car approached, but her eyes still moved about the trees around them. When David pulled up, she met him by the driver's door.

"Anything?" She asked hopefully, but knew from his expression what he was going to say before he answered.

"Not a trace."

"I don't get it. It's a tiny town, and she doesn't know anyone or anything about this place. How could she just disappear?" Emma gave a frustrated sigh and David looked sympathetically as he shook his head.

"I don't know. But what do even know about her?" He asked and Emma shrugged.

"She just came through a portal, saying she was looking for her father."

"Robin." David supplied and received a confirming nod.

"Right."

"And...does she know he's not even here?"

"Not yet." Emma turned slowly and looked out into the woods again.

"So some girl just shows up out of nowhere, claims to be Robin's daughter, someone we've never even heard of, comes to lunch and then runs away?" David was still trying to understand the situation, and Emma just gave another nod.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Actually..." Emma paused, "yeah that's all of it. We don't know anything about her, except her name. But she's just a kid, so no matter how or why she's here, we need to find her."

"Well we're obviously not getting anywhere out here. Let's head back and we can spread the word to the town to call us if they see her. She can't hide from everyone." David turned and pulled his door open again.

"You go. Make sure people know we're just looking to find her to make sure she's safe. The last thing that's going to help is having the town on a witch hunt for her. We're just trying to help." She finished and David nodded, but looked at her questioningly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna walk back." She looked around them again. "I just...I don't know, I just want to keep trying."

"Okay." David didn't look like he completely believed she had a chance, but he finally knew better than to question his daughter.

He left and Emma stood for another moment. She knew this effort was likely completely futile, but she just had this..._feeling_, she couldn't shake.

She moved slowly at first. She stepped off the road and into the woods and walked the opposite direction of the Merry Men's camp. She figured if Aiden was out here, she'd probably be trying to avoid people.

A rustling behind her, had her spinning fast in alarm, before a small squirrel emerged from a bush and Emma rolled her eyes at her own reaction. She took a calming breath as she slowly turned back around, just before-

"Oh! Shiiiii-" Emma barely stopped the profanity from slipping as she faced an angry looking teenager. Aiden didn't even flinch. Just leaned back against a tree as Emma recovered.

Emma shook off her discomfort before regarding her.

"Aiden, hey. We've been looking-"

"So he's not even here." Aiden interrupted and Emma's mouth snapped shut. "I heard you two."

"It's complicated-"

"Yeah, that's what Regina said. What everyone says when they're hiding something." Aiden turned away and Emma jumped around her to cut her off.

"Wait."

"No-"

"_Yes_." Emma lifted a hand. "I know you're upset and confused right now, but I'm still the Sheriff in this town and you're underage without a guardian." She saw that Aiden wasn't taking that well, from the narrowing eyes and clenching teeth, so she softened her expression. "I'm sorry. Let me try that again. Look, I know you're frustrated. You have questions. So do we. I think we can help each other but you're going to have to give us a chance."

Aiden stepped back and Emma almost wondered if she was going to run again. But then the teenager paced back and forth a bit and she just watched her momentarily.

"Your father isn't here." Emma tried, gently. "Not right _now_. But that doesn't mean we can't change that."

Aiden's head snapped up and she stared right into Emma's eyes for a second. Emma realized it was the same way she'd regard someone when she was trying to establlish whether or not they were lying.

"I don't trust you." She said, finally, but her tone had softened and her glare eased as her gaze landed on her own boots. Emma opened her mouth to respond, before-

"Well maybe we can do something to change that."

Both Aiden and Emma spun to see Regina walking up behind them. Emma showed her confusion, until Henry appeared beside Regina and waved his phone at her, showing the blinking GPS marker.

Regina approached cautiously and smiled when Aiden didn't move away.

"Maybe we could start over?"

Aiden looked around all of them. Emma nodded at her and when she looked at Henry, he smiled and inclined his head as well.

Slowly, Regina reached her hand out towards her.

There was a lot of hesitation and the wariness was back completely. _Yet_, a moment later, Aiden gingerly lifted her hand and allowed Regina to clasp it in her own.


End file.
